Thematic Cities Cluster

Sustainable Transport & Air Quality

The Cities Cluster on Sustainable Transport and Air Quality offers a space for knowledge sharing and collaboration between cities partners of the Global South on how to implement sustainable transport, reduce CO2 emissions and urban air pollution.

Realizing the vision of sustainable transport, which has a key part to play in improving inclusive growth and access to essential services and addressing climate change, remains imperative in developing countries. On the one hand, inadequate accessibility and poor transport connectivity have created barriers to trade and global integration and undermined developing countries’ prospects for sustainable growth. On the other hand, existing transport systems in many developing countries are not green, efficient, or safe enough yet. Particularly, nearly a quarter of global energy-related CO2 emission is believed to have been generated by transport activities (UNEP, 2021a); cities are responsible for 75 percent of global CO2 emissions (UNEP, 2021b).

Zero-emission buses in São Paulo, supported by the Zero Emission Bus Rapid-deployment Accelerator (ZEBRA) initiative

It is imperative to shift to more environmentally friendly modes of transport, which is seen as a priority to reduce urban air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. The Cities Project Team is actively engaging UN agencies and organizations to launch pilot projects in Southern cities within and beyond the Project network to promote sustainable and green and clean transport locally by connecting cities and encouraging exchanges.

The Cities Project will also identify and disseminate SSC good practices and facilitate partnership building and knowledge exchanges in achieving sustainable transport and improving air quality, in partnership with specialized UN agencies and organizations.

Featured Members of this Cluster

Afadzato Distric

Ghana

The Afadzato District is one of the 46 administrative districts created in 2012 with its capital at Ve-Golokuati, about 58km from Ho, 20km from Hohoe, and 200km from Accra. The total land area of the district is 553.0 square Kilometres about 3.06 % of the total land size of the Volta Region. Moreover, the location of the district has the potential to boost both local and foreign trade.

The Afadzato South District Assembly exists to improve both social and economic life of her people through efficient and effective resource mobilization, maintaining a strong agricultural base for further industrial development, being a leading tourist centre in Ghana and preserving cultural heritage of her people and the Region at large.

Afadzato South District, Ghana

Aparecida de Goiânia

Brazil

Aparecida de Goiânia will be 100 years old in 2022, filled with opportunities. At nearly 600,000 inhabitants and a privileged geographic location, it attracts investors and generates over 120,000 jobs.

The solid establishment of businesses and universities, within its territory, thrives around great perspectives in healthcare, energy supply, industry 4.0 and the concept of Smart Cities.

The city also has a video monitoring system to help reduce criminality, and saves energy through the use of solar power, seeking resources to install a photovoltaic farm.

Additionally, over 750 kilometers of optical fiber has been installed, along with a 7,600 terabytes data center.

Following Covid-19 WHO recommendations, the city implemented mass testing, check-ups, network expansion, service qualification, monitoring and treatment of afflicted patients, and a scheduling app for the vaccination campaign.

Aparecida evolves along with social, economic and environmental development, in order to care for its population with multiple best quality services.

Aparecida de Goiânia, Brazil

Baguio

The Philippines

Baguio is located in the island of Luzon, which is the largest and most populous island in the Philippines. Its geographic location is at 16.411999° N and 120.59834° E with an elevation of 1,400 meters above sea level. The City has a resident population of 366,358 for 2020 growing at 1.54% per year that can reach 600,000 to almost 1 million during peak season of tourist arrivals. Nighttime population is 380,000. Population density is placed at 6,005 per square meter.

It is a landlocked mountainous City also referred to as the “City of Pines” and the “Summer Capital of the Philippines”, popular for its temperate climate and rich cultural background. It has a land area of 5,749 hectares. As to its land cover: 9.81% are declared as watershed and protected forest; 1.41% as parks and recreation areas; 11.04% are open spaces; and the rest are settlement areas.

The City is 206 kilometers away from Manila which takes about four (4) hours to drive. It serves as the gateway to other municipalities in the Cordillera Region mountains. It is the only highly urbanized City in the region. The city is the center for education, trade and tourism in the Cordillera region. It was also declared as a UNESCO Creative City because of its rich culture and tradition on arts and crafts.

Baguio City is also home to one of the country’s most profitable Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) areas called the Baguio City Economic Zone (BCEZ). The BCEZ caters to 44 locators which produce textiles, wearing apparels, electronics, plastic products and others. Production output in the BCEZ accounts for the bulk of the Cordillera’s total exports. The city is also considered the financial center of the Cordillera Administrative Region (CAR). There are 82 banks operating in the city. Of these, 48 are Commercial, 23 are Rural and Cooperative and 11 Thrift banks. Baguio City is still the Summer Capital of the Philippines and remains to be among the top 14 destinations in the country. It is also among the top 20 destinations for Meetings, Incentives, Conventions and Exhibition (MICE). It received close to 1.3 million tourists in 2016, with tourism receipts amounting to Php 8.1 billion.

Baguio, the Philippines

Buenos Aires

Argentina

Buenos Aires is Argentina’s largest city and is considered one of the most livable cities in the region. In recent years, the city has seen a deep transformation in terms of socio-urban integration and redesign on a human scale, with innovation, sustainability, and inclusion as guiding axes. For more than a decade, and mainly since the city formally adhered to the Sustainable Development Goals in 2016, Buenos Aires has been working under the guidance of the SDGs to build a more sustainable, safe, resilient and inclusive city that generates new and better opportunities for all.

Buenos Aires, Argentina

Gansu Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (GPAFFC)

China

Gansu Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (GPAFFC) is a not-for-profit civil group, whose work is guided by the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC). GPAFFC aims to increase mutual understanding and nurture friendship between people from around the world and promote exchanges and cooperation in economy, trade, society, culture, science and technology and education.

Gansu Provincial People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, China

Hangzhou DTMaaS Technology Co. Ltd.

China

Founded in 2017, Hangzhou DTMaas Technology Co., Ltd. is a high-tech enterprise engaged in public transportation digital transformation services, based on cloud computing, big data, mobile Internet, Internet of Things, artificial intelligence, innovative integration of industry data, Internet data and other multi-source data resources, to build a public transportation data brain SaaS (software as a service) platform for serving the national public transportation, as well as to support the digital transformation of traditional public transportation industry.

At present, the company's core product public transportation data brain has been operating in more than 50 cities in China, including Hangzhou, Kunming, Shaoxing, Weihai, etc. The company has been authorized with six patents, more than 30 software copyrights, and participated in the development of four operational standards.

Hangzhou DTMaaS Technology, China

Henan Civil Aviation

China

Henan Civil Aviation was established in 2011 with the major responsibilities of accelerating the development of the Henan civil aviation industry and leading the establishment and development of the Zhengzhou Airport Economy Zone, focusing on the development of air transport, logistics, manufacturing, and infrastructure, and cultural tourism.

Henan Civil Aviation, China

Innovation Center for Risk Governance of Beijing Normal University

China

The Innovation Center for Risk Governance (ICRG) is a academic institution based in Beijing Normal University. The ICRG research team consist of leading scholars in disaster response, social development and risk management with competitive capacity for building a think tank that supports risk governance and resilient society in China and Belt and Road countries. The ICRG also emphasizes introduction of international concepts and tools, enhancement of the optimization of China disaster risk governance, and collaboration in international participation with enterprises and civil society organizations. In years of multiple responses to large-scale disasters in and out of China, the research team emphasizes both in-time response to disasters (building contingency plan and professional, multi-sectoral response team) and sustainable long-term data and research (big data, evaluation framework and tool).

Mission: To manage risks with innovative models, build a more resilient society, and help achieve the SDG goals.

Vision: To become a world renowned think-tank in social innovation for risk management.

Objectives: To promote public education in risk management and disaster reduction and explore a risk management system framework driven by social needs and participated by diverse actors by mass innovation and joint governance, community-based platforms, and innovative technologies. Building on this, the ICRG will also summarize the practices and lessons in risk governance in China and other B&R countries for global experience sharing.

Innovation Center for Risk Governance of Beijing Normal University, China

Janjanbureh,

the Gambia

Janjanbureh Area Council, located in the Central River Region - South, comprises of 6 Constituencies (Janjanbureh, Niamina West, Niamina East, Niamina Dankunku, Lower Fulladu West and Upper Fulladu West) and 12 Wards (Maccarthy, Catamina, Jareng, Kudang, Dankunku, Brikamaba, Fulabantang, Kerewan, Sare Sofie, Daru, Bansang and Galleh). Like other area councils, JAC is mandated under the Local Government Act of 2002 to administer the affairs of the Janjanbureh Local Government Authority (LGA) and provide for the needs and welfare of residents living in the area.

Located in the southern part of the Central River Region (CRR), the Janjanbureh Local Government Area is typically rural, with one major growth center (Janjanbureh). The LGA has a total land area of 1,428 Km2, which is the third smallest LGA in terms of size, aside from Banjul and Kanifing.

According to the IHS 2015/16, poverty in the Janjanbureh LGA (71.4 percent) as measured by the headcount index is above the national average of 48.6 percent. The LGA is the second poorest LGA after Kuntaur (72.4 percent). Between 2010 and 2015/16, poverty rate in the Janjanbureh LGA has generally worsened, increasing from 54.2 percent in 2010 to 71.4 percent in 2015/16.

Janjanbureh, the Gambia

Mumbwa

Zambia

Mumbwa District is situated about 140Km from Lusaka and has a population of approximately 176,620 of which 88,762 are females (50.3%) and 87,858 are males (49.7%). Its average annual Population Growth Rate stands at 3.2%, and the population distribution is 10.7 per km2. The district has a total land size of approximately 23, 800 km2.

Mubmwa, Zambia

Operational Traffic Control Unit (UOCT)

Chile

The Operational Traffic Control Unit (UOCT) is a public agency dependent on the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications of Chile, which administers it through the Undersecretary of Transportation. Established in 1990, it is the entity responsible for managing and operating traffic control systems in the major cities of Chile, covering nine regions of the country. The national headquarters is located in Santiago.

The control systems monitor in real-time the operation of most of the traffic lights in the cities through a communication network that connects each traffic light to the control system.

Operational Traffic Control Unit (UOCT), Chile

Piquete

Brazil

Piquete is located in the state of São Paulo, in the Vale do Paraíba, the central portion of the middle valley of the Paraíba do Sul River. It is located on the slopes of Serra da Mantiqueira and a large part of its territory is within the Environmental Preservation Area. It has 14,709 inhabitants as of 2009.

Piquete, Brazil

Santiago

Chile

The Metropolitan Regional Government of Santiago is an autonomous body that as of July 14 2021 will be led by a Governor or Regional Governor, who will be in charge of the superior administration of the region. The Regional Government cares about the harmonious and equitable development of the territory. The main focus of its work in on the planning and preparation of projects to promote the economic, social and cultural development of the Metropolitan Region, taking into account the preservation and improvement of the environment and the participation of the community.
“Santiago Humano y Resiliente” is the Resilient Strategy of the Metropolitan Regional Government, it was born from the selection of Santiago in 2014 within the framework of the program ``100 Resilient Cities (100RC)``, originally promoted by the Rockefeller Foundation and today led by the Global Resilient Cities Network (GRCN).
The Resilient Strategy proposes a collaborative perspective by articulating the public sector, private sector, academia, social organizations and unions to make Santiago a more just, humane and inclusive city, giving all its inhabitants the opportunity to live and enjoy the benefits of a region where people are at the center of development. It seeks to improve the capacity of the city to face the tensions and impacts that threaten it and implement actions that allow progress towards a more humane and resilient Santiago.

Santiago, Chile

São Paulo

Brazil

The São Paulo City Hall is the government office in charge of management and control of the city of São Paulo, Brazil. São Paulo is a municipality in the Southeast Region of Brazil. The metropolis is an alpha global city and the most populous city in Brazil and the largest Portuguese-speaking city in the world. The city is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest state in Brazil. It exerts strong national and international influence in commerce, finance, arts and entertainment.

São Paulo, Brazil

Shah Alam

Malaysia

Shah Alam is a city and the state capital of Selangor, Malaysia and situated within the Petaling District and a small portion of the neighbouring Klang District.

Shah Alam is also one of the major cities within the Klang Valley, an area in Malaysia comprising Kuala Lumpur and its suburbs, and adjoining cities and towns in the state of Selangor, due to the Klang River flowing through it on its way westward to the Strait of Malacca.

Shah Alam, Malaysia

Xiamen

China

Xiamen, with the ancient name of Jiahe Island and Lu Island, is a sub-provincial city in Fujian Province, a special economic zone, and an important central city, port and scenic tourist city on the southeast coast of China. Xiamen is located at the southeastern tip of Fujian Province, bordered by Zhangzhou to the west, Quanzhou to the north, and Kinmen and Dattan Islands to the southeast.

Xiamen, China

Latest News and Updates

Cities Clusters - TransportCities ProjectNews
December 13, 2023

UNOSSC Facilitates South-South Exchange on Urban Mobility between Cities in Argentina, Chile and China

On 12 December 2023, the Cities Project of the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) held an online exchange on innovative urban mobility, fostering collaboration among officials from Buenos…
Cities Clusters - TransportCities ProjectNews
August 2, 2023

City-to-City Experience and Technology Exchange Workshop between Hangzhou and Santiago

As part of the pilot project on sustainable transportation, and to strengthen city-to-city technical exchanges and partnership-building, Mr. Álvaro Jordán Rifo, Specialist from the Department of Mobility and Transport of…
Cities Clusters - TransportCities ProjectNews
December 19, 2022

UNOSSC, UNDP Chile and UNDP China Launch Cities Pilot Initiative in Santiago, Chile to Promote Sustainable and Low-carbon Transportation

13 December 2022, Beijing: The United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Country Offices in China and Chile have announced the launch of a…
Cities Clusters - E-commerceCities Clusters - TransportCities ProjectNews
September 21, 2022

Cities Exchange on Logistics Held Among China, Ghana and Uzbekistan to Facilitate Partnership Brokering

On 20 September 2022, the United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation (UNOSSC) organized an online exchange on logistics among Ejisu and Kumasi of Ghana, Zhengzhou of China, and the Jizzakh…

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